Draw-bar-centering device for railway-cars.



PATENTBD MAY 22, 1906.

T. R. BROWN. DRAW BAR CENTERING DEVICE POR RAILWAY GARSE APPLICATION FILED FEB. l. 1906.

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PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

. T. R. BROWN. DRAW BAR GBNTERING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY GARS.

ATTRNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

THOMAS R. BROWN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN A. I-IEGEMAN, JR., OF NORTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY.

DRAW-BAF-CENTERING DEVICE FOR RAILWAY-CARS..

Specification of Letters Patent.

jatenteol lVIay 22, 1906.

Application filed February l, 1906. Serial No. 298,924.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS R. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Draw- Bar-@entering Devices for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in draw-bar-centering devices for railway-cars; and it consists in the novel features and combinations of parts hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of the invention is to provide efficient and durable means for cushioning the coupler during its lateral action, so as to avoid shocks to the car and the straining of the parts by the coupler striking the car violent lateral blows and for returning the coupler to its central normal position after it has been swung laterally.

I preferably locate my new cushioning and centering device between the usual center or draft sills of the car and at the inner side of the usual striking-plate and mount the same upon a transverse bolt, which is held at its ends by said sills.

The device of my invention comprises two oppositely-,disposed sections slidably mounted one within or upon the other and upon the aforesaid transverse bolt and a coiled cushioning-spring interposed between said sections and engaging both thereof, said spring encompassing the middle portions of said bolt and said sections having arms disposed at opposite edges of the draw-bar, whereby the latter upon moving in either direction will engage the arm of one of said sections and move the section against said spring, which upon reacting will restore the section, with the draw-bar, to a normal position. One of said sections is always at rest, the draw-bar only moving one section at a time.

The invention will beA fully understood from the detailed description hereinafter presented, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in 'which- Figure ll is a vertical longitudinal section through a portion of a car equipped with a draw-bar-centering device embodying my invention, the section being on the dotted line 1 1 of Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of same on the dotted line 2 2 of Fig. l.. Fig. 3 is a front view, partly broken away and partly in section, of same, the draw-bar and one of the draft or center sills being in section and the major portion of the usual striking-plate being broken away. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detached perspective view of the two sections of my centering device, said sections being shown in their normal relation to each other. Fig. 5 is a detached perspective view of one of said sections, and Fig. 6 is a like view of the other of said sections.

I have illustrated my invention as applied to a well-known type of car requiring no special description, the features thereof more intimately associated with my invention being the usual draft or center sills 2() 20, the strik ing-plate 2l, and coupler 22, said plate being recessed at its lower portion, as at 23, to re ceive and permit the usual lateral movements of the stem of the coupler.

Between the sills 20 20 and just at the inner side of the striking-plate 2l is a space, which I utilize to receive my centering device, which as a whole I designate by the numeral 24 and which is disposed transversely between the said sills and is mounted. upon a rod or bolt whose ends are supported by said sills.

The centering device 24 comprises the oppositely-disposed sections 25 26, interposed spring 27, and bolt 28, the latter passing through said sections and spring and being secured at its ends to the sills 20. The sections 25 26 are shown enlarged in Figs. 4, 5, and 6 and are of boX or receptacle form, each comprising sides 29, an outer end wall 30, a bottom 31 a longitudinal sleeve 32 at its outer end, and a downwardly-projecting broad arm 33 at its inner end, said sides at their upper edges preferably inclining downwardly from the outer end 30 of each section toward the inner end thereof. The inner ends of the sections 25 26 are open, and said sections are open at their tops. The sides 29 continue downwardly along the opposite ends of the arms 33 and strengthen the latter. Each section 25 26 is an integral casting and the sleeve 32 of each section is in line with the length of the section and is preferably eX- tended on both sides of the end wall 30 thereof. The section 26 is somewhat smaller than the section 25, so as to be set and capable of having a sliding movement therein, and the section 25 has an opening 34 at its lower inner portion and corresponding openings 35 IOO in its end 30, said openings 34 35 being provided to admit the inner end of the section 26 and the positioning of its arm 33, and said openings being of suitable dimensions to allow the inner ends ol thesides 29 of the section 26 to slide Jfreely through them when said section 26 is moved toward the left (lookingk at Figs. 3 and 4) and to permit the section 25 to be freely moved a suitable distance toward the right without its end 30 striking the upper edges of the sides 29 of the section 26. The sections 25 26 guide one upon the other when in use, and one section is always stationary when the other is in motion. The sections 25 26 substantially correspond with each other in form and length, but are oppositely disposed, so that when they are nested together they form a receptacle which is closed at its ends by the walls 30, against which the spring 27 may act and between which and the sides 29 said spring is housed.

The spring 27 extends from the end 30 oi the section 25 to the end 30 of the section 26 and is always under compression, the ends of the springs being disposed upon the inner ends of the sleeves `32, which ends act as hubs to receive the ends of and support the spring. rlhe outer projecting portions of the sleeves 32 extend from the ends 30 of the sections 25 26 to the center sills 20, and the outer ends of said sleeves are kept in iirm contact with said sills by the outwardly-acting tension of the spring 27. The bolt 28 passes through the center sills 20, sleeves 32, and spring 27 and supports the centering-device sections 25 26, which are kept in proper normal relation to each other by said sills.

When the parts of the centering device are in position between the sills 20, as shown in Fig. 3, the arms 33 thereof extend downwardly at opposite sides of the stem of the coupler 20, so that as the coupler' moves either to the right or left, as when the cars are passing over curves in the tracks, its stem will engage one or the other of said arms 33. Should the coupler turn to the right, (looking at Fig. 3,) it would press against the arm 33 of the section 25 and cause said section to slide on the section 26 and bolt 28 and compress the spring 27, the latter acting to cushion the coupler. Upon the cars straightening out the spring 27 will restore the section 25 to its normal position. When the coupler moves to the left, it will engage the arm 33 of the section 26 and cause said section to slide on the section 25 and bolt 28 and compress the spring 27 against the end of said section 25, said spring serving to cushion the coupler and thereafter to restore the section 26 to its normal position. The spring 27 and sections 25 26 also aid in restoring the coupler to its normal central position and in there retaining it. l

I illustrate the centering device as located above the coupler-stem, but it is obvious that said device may be turned upside down and disposed below said stem, if desired. It is better that the supporting-bolt 28 be secured directly to the sills 20; but it is obvious that with less convenience and more expense said bolt may be directly secured to parallel plates specially provided to receive it in lieu of to said sills.

have illustrated and described the preierred outline or form for the sections 25 26,

y but do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to such outline or form, since I am aware that the details of the'same may be varied without'departing from the spirit or scope of my invention as claimed.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. A draw-bar-centering device comprising independent nested sections of aboutcorresponding length and adapted to slide one upon the other, said sections at their outer ends having walls and outwardly-projecting longitudinal sleeves and at their .inner ends arms projecting along opposite sides of the coupler-stem, combined with a spring held between said end walls, a bolt passing through said sections, sleeves and spring, and means rigid with the car engaging the outer ends of said sleeves to resist outward movement of said sections from their normal position; substantially as set forth.

2. A draW-bar-centering device comprising independent nested sections of about corresponding length, one of said sections being set within and at its inner end projected through the other, and said sections being adapted to slide one upon the other and having at their outer ends walls and outwardly and inwardly extending longitudinal sleeves and at their inner ends arms projecting along opposite sides of the coupler-stem, combined with a spring interposed between said sections and mounted on the inner end portions of said sleeves, a bolt passing through said sections, sleeves and spring, and means rigid with the car engaging the outer ends of said sleeves to resist outward movement oi' said sections Jfrom their normal position; substantially as set forth.

3. A draw-bar-centering device comprising the independent nested sections of about corresponding length having side, bottom and outer end Walls and being open at their inner ends where they are formed with arms proj ected along opposite sides of the couplerstem, the outer section having an opening to admit the inner end of the inner section and permit its sides to slide through the same to the requisite extent, combined with a spring held between said end walls, a bolt passing through said sections and spring, and means rigid with the car engaging said sections to resist outward movement of same from their normal position; substantially as set forth.

4. A draw-bar-centering device comprising TOO TIO

with the car engaging the outer ends oi said sleeves to resist outward movement oi said sections from their normal position; substan- 1 5 tially as set forth.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 31st day of January, A. D. 1906.

THOMAS R. BROWN.

Witnesses CHAs. C. GILL, ARTHUR MARION. 

